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Discipline (VTR)
Vampiric powers and capabilities which have often given rise to old wives' tales of superhuman speed, strength and endurance possessed by the Damned, along with their piercing gaze, their hypnotic and seductive voices and the unholy power to vanish into shadows and shapeshift into bats, wolves and mist. (VTR: Vampire: The Requiem Rulebook, p 114) Kindred (the word vampires use for themselves) can use a variety of supernatural powers called Disciplines. These are special abilities associated with their curse which, like their undead bodies, are "fed" in a way by the living blood they take from mortals. Many of the Disciplines provide Kindred with preternatural means of ensuring their continued existence, or of easing the process of hunting and stealing blood from mortals. Disciplines are generally recognized as common (common place among the Kindred and more than one clan has an innate knack for them), unique (the proprietary abilities of each of the five clans), covenant (possessed only by a specific covenant and never shared with outsiders), and bloodline (known only to the members of a particular bloodline within a clan). However, each Kindred has the capability to, given a tutor and the proper amount of time (sometimes years for powerful disciplines), learn a discipline that is not natural to their clan or covenant. In game mechanics, the experience point cost for such disciplines is higher than that of a clan discipline innate to a specific Kindred, and given the amount of time in a given storyline necessary to succesfully master an other-clan discipline, many players never get the chance to fully master such things. However, many storytellers (the orchestrater and judge of the game) will allow certain concessions, or "house rules", that enable players to learn other-clan disciplines much easier than is standard in the official rulebook. Powers that combine aspects of two or more Disciplines are called Devotions. Common Disciplines These Powers of the Blood are common place among the Kindred and more than one clan has an innate knack for them. The physical Disciplines in particular (Celerity, Resilience, & Vigor) can even be learned without a teacher by those without an in-borne blood affinity for them. Physical * Celerity: The ability to move at incredible speeds with uncanny precision. * Resilience: The ability to withstand crippling injury without submitting. * Vigor: The ability to manifest supernatural strength above and beyond even a vampire's naturally superheroic capabilities. Mental * Animalism: The power to commune with and command animals; related to a vampire's inner Beast. * Obfuscate: The power of hiding oneself by clouding the minds of the weak; related to a vampire's natural cunning and guile. Unique Disciplines These Disciplines are the proprietary abilities of each of the five clans. Their instruction tends to be used as bargaining chips with other Kindred who don't possess them as natural talents. * Auspex: Preternatural sensitivity and awareness and the ability to forsee and know things seemingly unknowable (practiced by the Mekhet). * Dominate: The piercing stare that commands minds and the ability to break the will of others (practiced by the Ventrue). * Majesty: Seductive or commanding sway of emotions and the predatory manipulation of the weak in this way (practiced by the Daeva). * Nightmare: The ability to evoke sheer terror by revealing one's primal nature (practiced by the Nosferatu). * Protean: The ability to assume a variety of forms such as a wolf or a mist (practiced by the Gangrel). Covenant Disciplines The Ordo Dracul, the Circle of the Crone and the Lancea Sanctum each possess knowledge of blood magic and rituals which they only teach to their loyal and proven members. These magics are never shared with outsiders and defectors with extensive knowledge of these Disciplines are often hunted. * Coils of the Dragon * Crúac * Theban Sorcery Bloodline Disciplines The various unique Disciplines are numerous and wildly diverse, although they are generally quite specific to their respective bloodlines and of limited utility outside of a highly specialized purpose. Members of bloodlines gain a fourth Discipline to which they have an affinity in addition to the powers of their parent clan. In many cases the fourth Discipline is one of the more common ones and some Bloodlines even gain access to normally Clan proprietary ones as innate predispositions. However some broods have developed specialized powers that go beyond the scope of the rank and file of the five Clans all of which are closely guarded secrects and usually haven't even been heard of by the at large population of vampires. Some of them are as follows: * Cachexy * Getsumei * Insomnium * Nepenthe * Gilded Cage * Sunnikuse * Stigmatica * Obtenebration * Institutionalize * Tezcatl * Embrocation Category:Vampire: The Requiem Category:Vampire: The Requiem glossary Category:Glossary